Nine held after child-sex squad raids

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Two former Anglican ministers and a former Salvation Army officer are among nine people arrested by a South Australian police taskforce in relation to alleged child sex offences.

Those arrested also include a former junior surf lifesaving coach and two former leaders of the Church of England Boys Society.

The first of the nine arrests was made last Thursday by the South Australian Police pedophile taskforce as part of its investigation into child sex abuse claims within the Anglican Church.

The taskforce was established in June last year after two Anglican clergymen went public with claims of up to 200 child sex abuse cases within the Adelaide diocese.

The controversy triggered the resignation of Archbishop Ian George 10 days ago, after an independent report into the church's handling of the allegations. The report found the church's priority was to protect itself at the expense of victims and it was more concerned with its legal and insurance standing than healing the victims.

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People who were once tied to other community and service organisations also were expected to be arrested, Detective Superintendent Grant Stevens said yesterday.

The men arrested with direct ties to the Anglican Church included a 58-year-old former minister who allegedly indecently assaulted four teenagers between 1973 and 2000.

Another former Anglican minister, 59, and now living in Queensland, was being extradited to SA yesterday to face four indecent assault charges and one count of buggery. The offences allegedly involved a 12-year-old child and occurred between 1970 and 1975.

A former Anglican Church foster carer, 54, was charged with indecently assaulting an 11-year-old in 1980-1981 when the child was a ward of the state.

The former Salvation Army officer, 65, and living in Victoria, was charged with indecently assaulting a 12-year-old in 1966-1967.

Another man, 71, who was a former Salvation Army carer, was arrested on two counts of indecent assault and eight counts of buggery.

His alleged victims, aged six and nine, were in the care of the Salvation Army Boys Home between 1961 and 1964.

One of the former Church of England Boys Society leaders, 45, will face five charges of gross indecency allegedly committed between 1986 and 1988 on a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old.

The other former Church of England Boys Society leader, 69, was arrested for 14 indecent assaults allegedly committed on six victims aged between 12 and 16, between 1970 and 1982.

A 78-year-old former junior coach with the Surf Lifesaving Association of SA was charged with eight counts of rape and seven counts of indecent assault, allegedly involving an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old between 1952 and 1980.

Another man, 67, has been charged with three counts of indecent assault between 1964 and 1970.

An apology to victims was read at Anglican parishes in Adelaide yesterday after being ratified by 280 members of the Adelaide diocese at a special synod on Saturday.

"We apologise for the shameful way we have actively worked against and discouraged those who have come to us and reported abuse," the apology said.

"We are ashamed to have to acknowledge we only took notice when the survivors of abuse became a threat to us."